This invention relates to the field of items for dogs and in particular to a device making it possible to play ball with a dog using a ball or the like, as used in team sports, intended to be inflated with pressurized air, equipped with an automatic shut-off inflation valve or ball of the preinflated type, so that a dog can, among other things, bring it back in his mouth without puncturing it, of the type consisting of at least one grip, said grip being designed to be grasped in the mouth of the dog, said ball having at least a median circumference of a width of at least 90xc2x0 of angular sector with respect to the center of the ball free of any grip protruding from this surface so as to allow the ball to roll in at least one direction.
At the present time, there is no large ball in existence for dogs, even though it is far more fun to play ball with a dog using a large ball than using a small ball. Since none of the current large balls (footballs, handballs, basketballs, volleyballs, etc.) has any grip, the dog tries to grab them in its mouth in order to pick them up, and thus very soon punctures them. However, for the sport of horse ball there is a six handled net, through the meshes of which a deflated large ball is introduced to then be reinflated once inside. The six tall and broad leather handles completely surround the ball, preventing it from rolling or bouncing at all, as demanded by that sport, for convenience of the riders. These tall and broad handles, designed to be grasped by a human hand, prove entirely unsuitable and dangerous for hoisting the ball into the air by kicking it and for being gripped in the mouth of a dog. In addition, the fact that this ball does not roll or bounce at all removes the entire interest of playing ball with a dog. Certain large balls are sold in a net with two fine handles so that they can be more readily transported. As the handles are not arranged radially, they cannot be stood up, project, and protrude to a marked extent from the outer cover of the ball. Indeed they rather tend to lie flat against the outer cover of the large ball. As a result, the dog cannot grip them and therefore tries to grab the ball in its mouth in order to pick it up, and thus very soon punctures it. Furthermore, an American patent numbered U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,559 describes a toy for a dog consisting of a flexible grip tied to a grip in the shape of an arc of a circle which is itself attached to a portion of a large ball. As these two grips are not elongate, do not have a certain rigidity, do not have a.
This present invention provides a solution to these problems.
Its object is a device of the aforementioned type, characterized in that said grip has an oblong shape along a longitudinal axis, such as the shape of a cylinder, a cone, a bar, a.
rod or such that it resembles an object such as, for example, a bone or a sausage, and in that the part of said grip closest to the center of the ball is rigid or semi-rigid so that it can keep itself erect and in that said base of said grip defines, with the zone of said ball adjacent to this said base, an articulation such that, under the effect of a force exerted laterally on said base of the grip, the latter finds itself in a position such that the grip protrudes to a marked extent beyond the zone of the ball where it is located and projects, it therefore being readily accessible to the mouth of the dog, thus dissuading the dog from gripping the large ball directly by its outer cover as this would soon cause the ball to be punctured.
This device is characterized in that the base of the grip is securely and firmly connected to a full or perforated wrapping or enveloping element made of a strong material such as plastic, synthetic cord, natural cord, lashing, Kevlar (trade name), synthetic strapping, natural strapping, intended to be run right around a ball, closely following its shape, at least temporarily while the ball is being used with a dog, the elastic articulation with a position of equilibrium being between the wrapping element and the zone of the ball adjacent to the base of the grip by virtue of the elastic deformation of this zone of the ball. This device is characterized in that the wrapping or enveloping element is cording or strapping wrapped around a ball in such a way as to describe at least three circumferences, such as circles, located in at least three mutually different planes, secured together so as to trap the ball in a strong net, from which the ball can be extracted and reintroduced by deflating. This device is characterized in that the base of the grip passes through the wrapping or enveloping element so that part of the base of the grip is inserted
Another subject of the invention is the use of such a device as a ball for playing with dogs.